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08-10-2024, 07:03 AM
The Canary Islands' vehicle fleet, one of the oldest in Spain with an average age of more than 15 years
The car continues to be a fundamental actor in mobilisation, but it also involves many expenses that throw the Spaniards' budgets out of place. According to data from the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics (ISTAC), there were 1,835,680 vehicles in circulation in the Archipelago last July compared to 1,791,230 in the same month of 2023 and 1,706,838 in March 2019, that is, in pre-pandemic times. Passenger cars account for 67.25% of the vehicle fleet, followed by trucks and vans, which account for 20.34% of the total, while motorcycles account for 9.52%.
However, the Islands are at the head of the autonomous regions with the highest percentage of old vehicles, with an average age of 14.7 years, according to the latest report by the Canary Islands Regional Federation of Automobile Importers and Dealers (Fredica).
The average density of vehicles in the Canary Islands is 829.9 and the Isla Bonita is the one with the highest number of cars per inhabitant, with 942.7 units per thousand residents, ahead of El Hierro (886.5), Lanzarote (881), Tenerife (839.2), Fuerteventura (814.7), Gran Canaria (802.4) and La Gomera (763.4). By localities, Tejeda stands out with a rate of 17,381 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, thanks to flexible taxation for car rental companies; a reality that increases the carbon footprint of this municipality. A scenario that during the last few decades reflects a resounding failure in the Archipelago from the perspective of the necessary sustainability, to such an extent that the trend is that the national average will soon be reached.
For this reason, the Minister of Transport of the Canary Islands Executive, Pablo Rodríguez, announced on February 22 that the Government of the Canary Islands will project 12.5 million euros to the modernization of the sector, both in the case of freight and passenger transport. The funds allocated to this aid, which companies with tax residence in the Islands will be eligible for, come from the Next Generation funds of the European Union (EU) and will facilitate the application of new technologies, reinforcing sustainability, decarbonisation and environmental protection.
Less than 7% of vehicles are fully electric in the Islands
With regard to electric vehicles, they continue to have little weight, although they mark an upward trend, increasing by almost 400% between 2020 and 2023, from 1,917 to 9,023. However, the ecological transition is going slower than expected in the Archipelago and only 7% of cars are fully electric, according to ISTAC.
The same trend can be seen in hybrid vehicles (petrol-electric), in 2020 there were 10,966 and at the end of 2023 they reached 34,294; in plug-in hybrids, they went from 902 to 6,144; and in those powered by biofuel or LPG, from 1,800 to 4,303.
On the other hand, in 2023, there were 19,129 vehicles with a zero-emission environmental label in the Canary Islands; 41,903 with the ECO badge; 811,895 with C; 409,748 with the ECO badge; 409,748 with B; and 587,291 without a badge.
The car continues to be a fundamental actor in mobilisation, but it also involves many expenses that throw the Spaniards' budgets out of place. According to data from the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics (ISTAC), there were 1,835,680 vehicles in circulation in the Archipelago last July compared to 1,791,230 in the same month of 2023 and 1,706,838 in March 2019, that is, in pre-pandemic times. Passenger cars account for 67.25% of the vehicle fleet, followed by trucks and vans, which account for 20.34% of the total, while motorcycles account for 9.52%.
However, the Islands are at the head of the autonomous regions with the highest percentage of old vehicles, with an average age of 14.7 years, according to the latest report by the Canary Islands Regional Federation of Automobile Importers and Dealers (Fredica).
The average density of vehicles in the Canary Islands is 829.9 and the Isla Bonita is the one with the highest number of cars per inhabitant, with 942.7 units per thousand residents, ahead of El Hierro (886.5), Lanzarote (881), Tenerife (839.2), Fuerteventura (814.7), Gran Canaria (802.4) and La Gomera (763.4). By localities, Tejeda stands out with a rate of 17,381 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, thanks to flexible taxation for car rental companies; a reality that increases the carbon footprint of this municipality. A scenario that during the last few decades reflects a resounding failure in the Archipelago from the perspective of the necessary sustainability, to such an extent that the trend is that the national average will soon be reached.
For this reason, the Minister of Transport of the Canary Islands Executive, Pablo Rodríguez, announced on February 22 that the Government of the Canary Islands will project 12.5 million euros to the modernization of the sector, both in the case of freight and passenger transport. The funds allocated to this aid, which companies with tax residence in the Islands will be eligible for, come from the Next Generation funds of the European Union (EU) and will facilitate the application of new technologies, reinforcing sustainability, decarbonisation and environmental protection.
Less than 7% of vehicles are fully electric in the Islands
With regard to electric vehicles, they continue to have little weight, although they mark an upward trend, increasing by almost 400% between 2020 and 2023, from 1,917 to 9,023. However, the ecological transition is going slower than expected in the Archipelago and only 7% of cars are fully electric, according to ISTAC.
The same trend can be seen in hybrid vehicles (petrol-electric), in 2020 there were 10,966 and at the end of 2023 they reached 34,294; in plug-in hybrids, they went from 902 to 6,144; and in those powered by biofuel or LPG, from 1,800 to 4,303.
On the other hand, in 2023, there were 19,129 vehicles with a zero-emission environmental label in the Canary Islands; 41,903 with the ECO badge; 811,895 with C; 409,748 with the ECO badge; 409,748 with B; and 587,291 without a badge.